THE BASS FEDERATION
By Mitchell Forde
Massachusetts angler Kaleb Brown ( right ) and his Lander University partner Cole Moulton took home the hardware at an Abu Garcia college fishing tournament on Lake Hartwell .
YOUTH PROGRAM FLOURISHING FOR MASSACHUSETTS FEDERATION
Massachusetts doesn ’ t exactly carry a reputation as a bass fishing hotbed . Of the anglers that comprised the Bass Pro Tour and Tackle Warehouse Invitationals rosters in 2023 , none hail from the Bay State .
And yet , there ’ s a cadre of young Massachusetts anglers who are starting to make their presence known outside the state . Kaleb Brown and his Lander University partner Cole Moulton bested a 250-boat field at the Abu Garcia College Fishing tournament on Lake Hartwell in late October . Jacob Swanson is part of the loaded roster at Montevallo University and finished third in the co-angler competition of the Toyota Series event on Lake Champlain in June .
According to Joe McKinnon , the president of The Bass Federation ’ s Massachusetts chapter , those two are part of a wave of impressive anglers who have emerged from the state in recent years . He also mentioned Nick Frumkin , who won the high school tri-state championship contested between Massachusetts , Connecticut and Rhode Island alongside partner Jack Houghton in May , as well as Cameron Chase .
Where ’ s all this young talent coming from ? McKinnon – currently nine years into his second stint as president of the state federation – credits youth director Seth McNary .
McKinnon knows firsthand that it doesn ’ t take much to get a young person hooked on bass fishing — the hardest part is typically getting them on the water for a tournament . He ’ s been involved with bass clubs in some form since 1989 , when he fished ( and won ) his first organized event , a bigbass tournament on the Charles River .
“ I wasn ’ t even a bass fisherman , I was a trout fisherman ,” McKinnon recalled . “ And I won the very first tournament I ever fished in . I won $ 1,000 for a big bass tournament . ... I said , that ’ s it , I ’ m hooked .”
McNary has a knack for convincing kids to give the sport an initial try .
“ We were at a show last year , to give you an example , and we were talking with a young kid that , he ’ s probably 14 ,” McKinnon recalled . “ And we kind of were trying to get him to sign up . Seth came over and talked to him , and five minutes later , the kid ’ s all signed up , ready to go . He just has a way with kids .”
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